For risks and side effects, ask your doctor? Dr. Gerhard Ritz is an ENT specialist and allergist in private practice in Graz. For his practice, he made a very deliberate choice in favour of a fragrance solution from Aromea, so we asked him why. And how scent, medicine and hygiene otherwise fit together:
Dr. Ritz, how does our perception of scent actually work, and why does your practice in Graz smell so good too?
DR. RITZ: As an ENT doctor, I naturally deal a lot with all questions relating to smell. The effect of individual olfactory perception is especially interesting: pleasant scents awaken memories and have usually shaped us since childhood, in fact even in the womb. That’s how scents can influence our physical and mental state, consciously or unconsciously. It’s exactly this positive feeling that I want to trigger in patients when they enter my practice.
So the right scent makes you instinctively feel at home and safe. But is an Aromea diffuser actually suitable for hygiene-sensitive areas?
DR. RITZ: The Aromea diffuser used here is easy to handle in terms of maintenance (hygienic fragrance changes, two closed systems of fragrance cartridge and diffuser) and cleaning, and so it also meets all the criteria for the hygiene requirements of a medical practice.
What generally needs to be considered when scenting medical areas?
DR. RITZ: In principle, particular attention must of course be paid to regular maintenance and cleaning. The type of fragrance and its concentration in the room air also play a major role. Some people react to overly intense scents with an instinctive urge to sneeze. Too high an intensity can also be unpleasant for asthma patients. You could perhaps compare it to the olfactory sledgehammer you get when walking into some perfumeries: in the long run, that’s unpleasant not only for customers but for staff too.
So scent is at its most pleasant at the threshold of perception. Makes sense. And why should a doctor’s practice, hospital, treatment room or waiting room smell good at all?
DR. RITZ: From the perspective of perceptual psychology, pleasant scents simply convey pleasant sensations. These can subtly contribute to relaxation and the relief of anxiety in patients.
The latest scientific research has recently shown that not only our nose, but also our skin and bronchi have their own olfactory receptors and so can actually “smell” for themselves. According to olfactory researchers, certain scents are also said to be able to accelerate skin regeneration or dilate the bronchi and so improve lung function. Put more simply: the right scent in the right concentration can even be used therapeutically in a doctor’s practice.
Quite impressive! What about the allergy compatibility of Aromea diffusers?
DR. RITZ: Fragrance allergies are mostly contact allergies of the skin. This is a big problem precisely when products that come into contact with the skin (such as cosmetics or shower gels) contain allergenic fragrances.
When conventional scent aerosols (spray diffusers) are used, the high scent concentration carries a certain risk of triggering an allergic reaction, particularly in asthma patients. However, studies have shown that this would require very high concentrations of scent molecules in the room air, which is not the case with Aromea solutions.
With scent particles 50 times finer, Aromea makes a big effect possible with very little fragrance. And the scent also lasts much longer without “lingering”. But hand on heart, doctor: is a scent like this in any way harmful to health?
DR. RITZ: As I just mentioned: all extremes can be harmful to health. As they say, the dose makes the poison. But when suitable fragrances are used in a suitable concentration, only the benefits come into play: a positive mood, relaxation, relief of anxiety, ultimately even positive physical reactions at cellular level. Aromea has implemented the ideal use of fragrance effectively and simply.
Thank you for those enlightening words, Dr. Ritz. Closing argument: why is an Aromea fragrance solution the most sensible one from a medical point of view?
DR. RITZ: With Aromea, I can choose fragrances very specifically, individually set the optimal scent concentration and distribution in the room, and so tailor the experience perfectly to the needs and requirements of my practice. As simple as that!
Dr. Gerhard Ritz scents his practice with Aromea
